Combined fly-net and rein-guard.



PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905. J. A. DULIN. COMBINED FLY NET AND REIN GUARD.

APPLIOATIOH FILED DEC. 12. 1904.

I 17112272257, Jain Alkali, Wu-M MW JOHN A. DULIN, OF LEBANON, INDIANA.

()OIVIBINED FLY-NET AND RElN-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed December 12, 1904. Serial No. 286,623.

To Z; whom zltmay concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN- AtDnLm. a citizen of the United States, residingat Lebanon, in the county of Boone and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Fly-Nets and Guards to Protect Driving-Lines from Horses Tails, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in means for protecting horses while hitched to a vehicle from flies and to prevent the animal from getting its tail over the lines; and the object of the invention is to pro'v'ide a neat and durable device that will not interfere in the operations of hitching and unhitching the horse from the vehicle and that will allow'the vehicle-shafts to be raised in the usual way without interference from the invention.

I accomplish my objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a buggy having a horse hitched thereto and showingmy invention in operative position. This figure shows the position of my invention in dotted lines when the latter is raised into a vertical position in hitching or unhitching the horse. Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective, showing one of the shafts and the mechanism for ad justably securing the invention to the shaft.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout both the views of the drawings.

1 represents the shafts of a vehicle of usual construction. I

2 is a frame-wire for the rear portion of my improved guard, which rests for a portion of its length upon the opposite members of the pair of shafts and passes in a vertical plane in an arch over the back of the horse from one shaft to the other. The portions of said frame lying upon the shafts are continued in a backward direction a suitable distance to the rear of the horse with an inward and upward curve, which forms an arch to the rear of and over the animals tail. The space between the two arched members of this frame is filled in with a suitable network of woven wires 5. The portion of the frame 2 lying upon the shafts is bent outwardly and continued past the-outer side of the shaft and is then bent inwardly to form the members i transversely of the shaft, which serves as a means for securing the frame in a hinged manner to the shaft.

6 represents wire loops in the form of the letter U, the stems of which are placed upon each side of a shaft and have their upper ends secured to the member 4 of the frame by being bent around said member in the manner as shown in Fig. 2, thereby forming a hinged connection between the said frame and loop 6. The stems of the loop are secured to the sides of the shaft by means of the plates 7 which prevent the removal of the loops, While permitttng of their vertical adjustment. Secured to the under side of each shaft are the springs 8, which have their outerv ends se cured to the cross-bar of loop 6. The tendency of springs 8 is to force the loop to which they are attached in a downward direction, thereby holding the frame 2 normally in contact with the shaft. The adjustment of the frame 2 in a vertical direction, afforded by the loops 6 and springs 8, is to allow for the settling down of the shaft without causing the guard to bind upon the horse or injure the guard when the vehicle is lowered, as by one or both of the wheels dropping into a rut in the road.

9 is a frame having a horizontal member which lies upon the vehicle-shafts on each side of the horse and which has members arched in an upward direction that pass over the horse and connect with horizontal members. The space inclosed by this frame is filled in with woven wire 12 in the manner as shown. This woven wire in both of the frames above described may be fine enough to prevent the access of flies to the horse, or the mesh may be open and serve as a support for the usual fiy-netting made out of woven fabric. The lower member of the frame 2 is provided with the sleeves 10 to receive a suitable end from the frame 9, whereby the horizontal members of both frames are removably united. These frames are additionally joined together by means of the links 11, which are formed from short pieces of wire, with their ends bent around the adjacent arched members of the two frames. The horizontal members of frame 9 are bent up at 13 to prevent contact of said frame with the holdback-straps of the harness.

14 is a clamp which is passed around the lower member of the frame 9 and around the shaft 1 for the purpose of holding the frame down upon the shafts whilein use on the horse.

In hitching up the horse to the vehicle and unhitching it the above-described guard is raised into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so as not to interfere in said operation, the clamp 14 being of spring metal, open IIO , to prevent the animal from getting his=..tail-.i--

at its lower portion, so as to be readily placed around and removed from its shaft.

The two frames above described might readily be made all in one; but I prefer to make this two-part frame so as to permit of the removal of the frame 9 and its netting, which covers the major portion of the body of the horse during those seasons of the year-when.

there are no flies to bother the animal. --This leaves the .rearframe 2 in use to act as a-guard over the line, as-some horses form thisvicious habit and continue it during the-entire year When the front frame 9 is removed, the clamp 14 is moved back to engage the sleeves 10, and hold the frame Qfrom tilting onits hinge L;

The invention is capable ofvariousmodifi- I cations without; departing from the spirit thereof, and Itherefore do notsdesire. to be;

limited to the, exact device shown; but

1.. In adevice for the purpose as specified, a: frame supported.- by the. shafts of =,the;:vehic1e having curved members; passing oventhe back-- of the animal hitched thereto,;one of. said curved ;members, being; supported 1 directly upon the shafts and crossing overethe' hips of. s the animal, and a filling of suitablematerial.

carried by said frame.

7 2. In a fly-screen -and line:guard, astifi. metalframe having horizontalmembers-rest. ing upon the vehicle shafts, said horizontaL members. extending: alongthe psides of the.

animal, and connected by archvmembers ex-v tending over .theback of theanimal, and a, filling of wires between themembers of;.,.said,,

frame.

3. In a flyscreen and. line -guard, a wire frame having horizontahmembers which-rest,

upon and are hingedtothe vehicle; shafts, and curved members connecting .saiolhorizon- .tal members, said curved memberspassing over the back of the vanimal one of-;said

curved members being to the rear of the animal,. and a filling of. suitable material between the members andtheframe.

LIna fly-screen and line-guard, a shield passing over the back of the animal and to its rear, hinges for securing the shield to the shaftsto permit the shield to-be-raised,

-.;means-for;securing it in its normal lower position, and means for permitting an adjustment of thedistance between the shield and its support.

5-In;a flysscreen and. rlinesguard, a. shield supported by the shafts of the vehicle, said shield passing inanarch over the. back of the ani'maland extending to-the rear oftthe animal ,.-said shield being in: two transverselyseparablew parts.

In a fl-y-screenand. line-guard, ,a. shield comprising a rigidmetal frame with a wovenwirewfilling, saidframe havinggmembers rest- WhatI do claim as new,and wish to secure by; Letters Patent of the United States, is

ing uponethevehiclevshafts and transversely crossings said-shafts, Urshaped loops, having their ends wrappedaround the said trans- ,ve rse frame, members: and sprlngsto depress said loops.

7,..-.In,a fiyescreeniand guard, a. shield comprising a -rigidz-metal, frame in two vtransverzsely. -.;separable .parts, saidpartsv having a woven-wire filling, -a sleeve on oneframe to receive entering wires from the otherframe,

and other fasteningmeans such as, wire links -additionallyconneeting sa1d frames, therear section oftheframe projecting. to .the rear oftthe animal,v saidsection being. hinged to the.vehicle-shafts, and .clamps. to removably s.ecnr.e..the front-ends. of, the .frame to. said shaft.

. In witnesswhereof I- have hereunto .set my .hand and seal, at Indianapolis,.1ndiana, this v.1el=th-.,day ofNovember, A. D. 1904.

JOHNA. .DULIN. Witnesses:

E. W. WQERNER,

J. A. MINTURN. 

